A new term that about 70 % of any worldly “plugged in” demographic will be able to identify.

Even in the scorching hot, 3rd world populations of Mother Africa there are an estimated 110,948,420 Internet users in Africa for Jul 31/10, with 10.9% penetration rate. With over 17,607,440 Facebook users as of August 31/10, with a 1.7% penetration rate.
Think about it this way. Some countries in Africa don’t even have ROADS, and they have a Social Network.

*http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

I was trying to recall the point made in one of my FAVORITE lecture materials back in College.The book was 2 yrs old when I had first read it and something just clicked. I started to understand my culture and understand how we as North Americans viewed our networks.

The book is:
Sex In The Snow – Canadian Social Values at the End of the Millennium
by Michael Adams
Viking, Toronto, 1997

The book is best summed up by TCI Management Consultants “As I see it, the new mental posture of Canadians has been shaped by three major quests: for personal autonomy, for pleasure and for spiritual fulfilment. In all three pursuits, the accent is on “personal”. It is this particular constellation of socio-cultural currents – among the most profound in Canada today – that gave rise to the title Sex in the Snow. The snow represents what is most enduring in Canadian values; the sex represents the hedonism and demand for immediate gratification that distinguishes the recent evolution of social values in the country. The stereotype of Canadians as respectful and reserved, and not that imaginative, is fast losing its validity.” (p. 6)

Adams identifies two Generation X tribes – the ‘New Aquarians’ and the ‘Autonomous Post-Materialists’ as being those most likely to lead us forward. As opposed to the other ‘GenX’ tribes that have relatively little social conscience (i.e. the ‘Aimless Dependents’, the ‘Thrill-Seeking Materialists’ and the ‘Social Hedonists’) both these tribes seem to exhibit something in the way of redeeming values (egalitarianism, respect for human rights, and a respect for freedom). He ends the book with a futuristic, if incredibly corny (and American, no less!), vision: “Already on the leading edge of modern values, they [these two GenX tribes] will be the multicultural crew of our “Starship Enterprise.” (p. 202)

*http://www.bizsum.com/articles/art_sex-in-snow.php

But what Adams couldn’t foresee is nearly a decade later we would not only bond together as a Nation but also as a New United Nation – The Web Nation.
Now just tickling the beginnings of 2011, anyone who’s anyone has their own Facebook & Twitter profiles, online photo album, and thousands of amateur multi-media capabilities available 24 – 7, costing nothing or minimal fees. Essentially allowing everyday ordinary people to properly brand their selves and freely broadcast to literally thousands of people with the click of a button, or the pasting of a URL code.

Talk about instant gratification – I say “CYBER SEX” because we have become Literally a generation of online hedonists! I can’t say without blinking an eye that when I post something to my facebook wall or my twitter page I immediately refresh my page hoping that someone would have commented or “liked” my material. Taking immediate notice of my interests and of me. When I say are you a “Grower or a Show-er” I mean are you the type of internet hedonist that enjoys the numbers game? For example, do you like to hoard friends, you want to beat all their scores on the Facebook apps, and you want to fulfill your internet hedonism based on the growth of your data base and the amount of people you are able to rake in? OR are you a show-er.

By show-er I mean do you like to post funny pics, or videos, and blogs? Do you write on other peoples walls? Do you want to show the world how amazingly-awesome-and-wonderful you are because getting “poked” and “liked” by 10 people in 2 seconds brings you more joy and validation then your MOM telling you that you’re amazingly-awesome-and-wonderful, and besides… she’s bias, she gave birth to you… But she’s not on your “Favorites” list, and you’d die if you had to Retweet half the things she says. BUT! If a random stranger whom you saw at summer camp 15 yrs ago and spent a weekend with you, asked you to be their friend, who has a friends network list of 4,679 people, and a fan page, and YouTube Channel and Ashton Kutcher actually chatted to him on his personal Twitter and he made that tweet his background as proof, found you THAT amazing you’d totally feel vindicated wouldn’t you??

So to all my #TwitFace Pimps out there (you know who you are) 10 yrs has past and I’ve come up with my OWN list of online stereotypes that you should explore:

- The Celebrity Suckers – people who ONLY follow celebrities, talk about celebrities, try to talk to celebrities, and are devout followers of Ellen, Oprah and The View.

- The Infotainers – those who like to post funny quotes, fun facts, old videos, they try to build content on their pages to entice people into engagement.

- The Spammer – #Teamfollowback – this is you! Sundays “my timeline” is filled with just “@’s” and names & auto DM’s – tsk tsk!

- The Infomercial -The “Check out my product, if you buy now get something for free, hey guys have you seen my product?” But never return a tweet or DM.

- The Cool Kids – they chat about worldly affairs, what’s current, what the “buzz” is, they return your “@’s”, ur pokes, & mention you in their statuses.

- The Professional – the realestate agent that only posts his listings, the product company that lists specials, No ROE, and they scratch their heads about no ROI !!

- The Po’ po’ poopers – the internet police, the “you shouldn’t do this or that” folk, always have a negative comment or a scolding, always reviewing and judging… the party poopers.

- The Parents – the Mom’s groups, organization tree’s, they advertise/communicate online about community events and or team charities and functions.

- The Creepies – the ones who stalk all your profiles but you’ve never met. They ask you for naked pictures before they ask what your favorite colour is, and they send you a link or a forward and you get a virus quicker then you would had you had sex without a condom.

- The TwitFace Pimp – the “pimp” is usually involved in social media or dabbles in it at some higher level then the average joe, and also has a few profiles they manage and have a built network around. When they need to move a product or service they pimp out their clients brand to their network in a sexy seductive way, not coming across as intrusive or spammy. They are smooth operators and you never really know who their (excuse my language) “Media Wh@res” are. But they get the job done and satisfy their clientele.

So that’s why I ask, when it comes to the Social Network of Cyber Hedonism, do you consider yourself a Grower OR a Show-er?

If you’re free Feb. 23rd come join me Stacey Prieur “Social Media Manger” for Sage Restaurant, Yellowfin Restaurant, 1two3 Restaurant  and The Social Media Club – Gold Coast at Sage Cafe’ Restaurant in Broadbeach to discuss Social Media in today’s day and age and how to effectively identify who your speaking to and why it’s important to brand yourself clearly and efficiently online. I started in Social Media with my business partner at the time Jill Clark and I’m going to break it down how we defined our online strategy and how it can work for you!

The best part is FINALLY I can “Socialize” at work and not get in trouble! I get PAID to do it! Ha!

In today’s uncertain financial climate it’s easy to understand why some individuals and small businesses may not be able to donate to charities as generously as they have in the past.

A training organisation with a difference is bucking this trend by donating a percentage of its course costs to an environmental charity, the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Train to Gain offers 100% online accredited Responsible Service of Alcohol, Hospitality and Food Safety Supervisor training. Company directors Brendan and Nat Bolton feel they have an obligation to do something to help preserve Queensland’s beautiful beaches and oceans.

Mr. Bolton says:

- “We both have many years experience working in the hospitality industry and have a real appreciation that each year many thousands of people travel great distances to enjoy all that Queensland has to offer.”

- “The hospitality industry in Queensland is greatly dependent on unique attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and our amazing beaches and waterways,”

- ‘”We wanted to provide a service that is convenient and accessible to hospitality workers.”

-“We understand that even though training is extremely important, often the last thing someone wants to do after a long shift or on their day off is to spend hours doing face to face training.”

- “This is especially true of hospitality workers living in remote areas who have to travel long distances to do this training.”

- “Our courses are completed 100% online and people can gain the certificates they need at their own pace, in the comfort of their own home and at the right price. They can also print their certificates right away so they aren’t waiting for them to arrive in the mail.”

- “We pride ourselves on giving the best customer service in the business. We answer the phone on weekends, public holidays and even during Masterchef.”

Why this is a great way to get your RSA:

Train to Gain donates part of its course fees to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, a charity that’s committed to protecting Australia’s oceans and marine wildlife.
Tara Janssen from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said that as a not for profit charity, the Society depended on donations from businesses and individuals across the country.

“Train to Gain’s support for our work means we can continue working to free our oceans from pollution, overfishing and oil spills, and create a better future for our children and our precious ocean life,” Ms Janssen said.

Brendan and Nat don’t intend stopping their charitable activities there. They are also on the lookout for a charitable organisation to be associated with their online Food Safety Supervisor course.

“We gain a lot from helping organisations which do great work, so if a charity or organisation feel they would be interested in being associated with us, we would urge them to contact us via one of our websites.”

Train to Gain can be contacted at info@traintogain.com.au

Check out what they do at www.qldrsa.com.au or www.traintogain.com.au

Information about the AMCS can be viewed at www.amcs.org.com.au

If you’ve been out of town, or hiding under a media free rock – the owners, managers, chefs and staff from Sage Cafe, Yellowfin Seafood Restaurant and 1two3 Dining & Lounge Bar have stripped down and bared their souls (and some cute bottoms as well) to pose for nude photos for their first ever charity calendar.

The 2011 NUDE Restaurant Calendar features employees of the 3 restaurants (with ages ranging between early 20s to late 40s) strutting their stuff in the restaurants and kitchens, using fun props in strategically placed positions to cover up their naughty bits. Shot over three days the result is a collection of fun, vibrant, and cheeky photographs that all the participants are very proud of. Now lets get down to the bare essentials, we need YOU to purchase them so we can help support our 6 very lovely charities!

How can you help? Well glad you asked!
The calendars are now available for purchase directly through the restaurants and on-line via their websites!

Check out :
http://www.1two3restaurant.com.au/charity to purchase one of these fab calendars featuring our birthday suited beauties!!

The Charities:
The following organisations will all receive a share of the funds raised by the sale of our calendars.

Dreamworkers – this is a GC fund raising organisation that raises money to support the community by supporting local charities and individuals needing assistance http://www.dreamworkers.com.au/

Transformations – They are a Gold Coast organisation that offer counselling and recovery programs that assist sufferers of drug and alcohol addiction, grief, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, divorce and abuse. http://www.transformation.net.au/

The GC Community Fund – they organise community fundraising projects to raise money for distribution to local charities and individuals in emergency need http://www.gccommunityfund.org/

Pulmonary Hypertension Australia – this organisation provides hope, support and education for sufferers and carers of people with Pulmonary Hypertension. http://www.phaaustralia.com.au/

Beautiful You Foundation – this is a QLD based charity for women going through the journey of cancer. They organise complimentary mornings for women such as makeup, skin care, art classes, craft and jewellery making and they are now fund-raising to set up a special retreat for cancer sufferers and their families. http://www.beautiful-you.com.au/

Hannah’s Foundation – Drowning Prevention, awareness and family support based in QLD started by Andrew Plint (A QLD Police Officer) and his wife after losing their daughter, Hannah to a drowning in 2007 http://www.hannahsfoundation.org/

The Launch Party
Thursday 16th September 2010 was the date for our official launch party for the calendar – the charities all sent representatives and we all had a great night – check out the party video!

The organisers of the calendar wish to acknowledge a number of sponsors who donated time, props, products and expertise towards the making of the calendar; a huge heartfelt thank you to Fotoforce photography, Allure Hair & Makeup, Bliss Tanning in Broadbeach, Nonstop Adz, Retro Chef & Amore Coffee.

For further information or high resolution images please contact:
Justine Clarke
Marketing & Functions Manager
0404 118090

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @SageRestaurant
OR on Facebook : Sage CafeRestaurant
Social Media friends enjoy a 30% discount off your ENTIRE bill!

To purchase a 2011 Naked Calendar for Charity please click on the link! Cheers~

Naked Calendar Unleashed! from 1two3dining on Vimeo.

]]> http://www.sagerestaurant.com.au/blog/sage-photo-gallery/feed/ 0 http://www.sagerestaurant.com.au/blog/hormones-in-australian-beef/ http://www.sagerestaurant.com.au/blog/hormones-in-australian-beef/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:37:01 +0000 admin http://www.sagerestaurant.com.au/blog/?p=179 Oi! Sorry mate, not insulting the Wendy Whinger from this morning, just talkin’ bout my meat!

Just gettin excited because there’s been rumours spreading that COLES will be aggressively selling HORMONE FREE beef! Which is amazing because that means less chemicals being pumped into our bodies, and because we’re an AWARD WINNING Steak maker, so not to pat ourselves on the back but… we like to know everything about our meat! We some times give it knicknames, bring it to footy games… you know, really make it feel important and sexy.
“The industry is abuzz with rumours that the supermarket is already buying cattle that haven’t been treated with hormonal growth promotants (or HGPs) and will agressively market that beef to its customers.
HGPs are widely used by beef producers to boost weight gains in cattle under approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

“David Inall, from the Cattle Council of Australia, says while they respect Coles right to make commercial decisions about marketing, they are keen to be part of any discussions on HGPs.”
ABC Rural.com

I don’t care what anyone says, Aussie meat is still the best meat ever! At least that’s what my Canadian girlfriend said last night! (Just joking) In all seriousness the leanness of Australian Beef has been toted as one of the most healthiest in the beef industry. No mad cows here!

In Australia, cattle are predominantly pasture-fed, producing beef that is leaner and containing healthier types of fat including Omega 3! See most people think that Fish is the only source for Omega 3’s but Lamb, and Beef are also alternatives, man meat! The kind you throw on a BBQ, so if you’re bird tells you to switch it up to fish or chicken, show her this Blog! Seriously. Do it. Then write me back and tell me what happened! ha!

The cool thing I heard is that from a recent survey on Australian Beef found that a lot of consumers have been asking for lean meat from butchers and grocery stores, so now there is a greater range of lean red cuts available to choose from in stores. Good On ya!

The average fat content of these popular cuts were:

Lean beef 4g of fat/100g
Lean lamb 6g of fat/100g
Lean veal 2g of fat/100g
Australian Beef

Not unlike my very manly svelty waist line – when Australian beef is “Lean” or trimmed of visible fat, it is also relatively low in unhealthy saturated fats, and is a valuable source of healthy unsaturated fats including long chain Omega 3 fatty acids. Almost two thirds of the fat in lean beef is unsaturated fat. Couldn’t really tell ya the difference between the two – BUT I hear saturated fats are the bad ones that coat your tummy and make it crampy in the intestines.

Australian lean beef is an important source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and is more nutrient dense than poultry, pork or fish. It provides more iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

Did you know that 68% of Australians still believe that too much beef can cause high cholesterol or heart problems? Probably all the poor buggers that tried out that Atkins diet. Just reaching out.

But I hear this is because of the perception that beef is high in total fat and saturated fat which are two key factors that are known to raise blood cholesterol levels. But it’s mainly how you cook it. If you slather sauces on it, pan-fry it, or marinate it in unhealthy things such as: Beer, Mayonnaise, BBQ Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce, Butter, Lard, Salt, Old Bacon Grease, more then 2 eggs… etc. OR eat your beef with: Potato Salads, Chips, Mashed Potato and gravy, or au jus, a case of beer, a magnum of bundy… etc. (You know all the good stuff)

In fact, with Australian beef becoming leaner, beef is not the main contributor to total fat and saturated fat in the Australian diet. Rather it is fast foods, snacks foods, oils, spreads, processed foods and the visible fat on meat. Therefore, lean beef can be consumed as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet.

Final Thought: If you’re old enough to be reading/interested in this blog, then chances are your Mum isn’t telling you what to eat anymore. So start reading the labels on food packaging that’s the best way to avoid the secret fat monster.

We’ve had quite a fair bit of our staff off and away so I’ve just been covering shifts and rockin’ out with my bad self in the kitchen. Wade left me for a week to go to some wedding, and my other partner in crime left me to go to New Zealand for his lil’ daughters birthday.

The only really cool thing to happen is that we got a couple new award winning beers that I haven’t tried yet. But I walk by them in the fridge and I hear them calling to me after my shifts… “Matty, come give me a whirl, Matty you know you wanna…” Instead of “peer pressure” its just plain ol’ “beer pressure”. lol. I promise – Almighty Grand Ridge Light, and Ms. Natural Blonde Wheat Beer you will get your turn. Even though I AM a VB guy (no judging please) I will eventually pay you your due diligence.

Other then that I got a sweet new 4G iPhone, it’s fully loaded and does video editing and everything. So BEWARE, I might be taking my own video’s if I see something of interest happening around the restaurant!

OH! The other thing we’re pretty happy about is that our New Breaky Special: 1/2 a Big Breaky has been goin’ off quite a bit, and for good reason. (Breaky is served 7am – 11:30am) For $8.90 you get – Sausage, Bacon, 2 Eggs, Grilled Tomato, Hashbrown, and a slice of bread….

Our other special is a great Grilled Wild Barramundi, been getting lots of compliments on it. So that’s been good. Always better to get compliments then complaints.

So since I have to jet back to the grills I’m going to end this, but if you’re in town for the Jazz & Food fest, please come see me for Breaky! I’m the devilishly handsome Aussie bloke in the back, I could stunt double for George Clooney so you can’t miss me.

Bored Ol’ Sage’s Final Thoughts: If you can’t turn up the heat,  just make your own.